Stuffed Puri with Chicken Filling

With the rise of COVID-19 cases around the world, we’ve all been on lockdown, self quarantining, social distancing ourselves as a precaution and to help minimize the spread of the virus. And most of us are at home, doing things we wouldn’t normally do during other days, like enjoying a hobby. For me, it’s keeping my 3-year-old busy with activities, cleaning and reorganizing the house and COOKING!

Good food always calms the soul and I find the whole cooking part very therapeutic. So I’ve been experimenting a lot with easy simple dishes to complex ones, failed at some and others being a total success. I’ve also been trying to make hearty dishes with minimum ingredients to save food in my pantry for a longer time than usual so I can totally avoid the urge to go out grocery shopping.

The one thing that I’ve made in a good quantity and stored is a yummy, spicy chicken filling that I can make Stuffed puris with or a chicken cake or even samosas and cutlets. The base would be the same and all I’ll have to do is alter it according to what I want to make. FOOD FOR DAYSSS!

Today’s recipe is called Stuffed Puri/ Erachi Pathr that is famous in the Beary community of Mangalore and also in Kerala.

INGREDIENTS:

For the chicken filling:

2 Chicken Breasts

1 Large Tomato sliced

2 tsp Ginger Garlic paste

1 tsp+ 1/2 tsp Red chili Powder

1 tsp+ 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder

1 tsp+ 1/4 tsp Garam Masala powder

2 Medium-sized Onions finely chopped

3-4 Green chilis chopped

Chopped Coriander leaves

Salt to taste

Ghee and oil to fry

For the Puri:

Chapathi dough

1 egg beaten (egg wash)

Oil to fry

Add ons:

Hard-boiled eggs halved

NOTE:

*You can use chicken with bones too. Boneless chicken is easier to shred.

*This recipe can be made with red meat as well.

*Make sure the masala isn’t wet or the roti will become soggy.

*Be careful while frying and flipping the puri as you may splash hot oil on yourself. To avoid this, tilt the pan and move oil to one side and then flip.

METHOD:

For the chicken filling:

In a nonstick pot, mix together chicken, ginger garlic paste, sliced tomato, 1 tsp each of red chili powder, turmeric powder and garam masala, salt to taste. Cook it on low flame with the lid closed.

When the chicken is half done, remove the lid and cook it on medium flame till the excess water evaporates and you are left with a thick paste of masala. Shred the chicken.

In another pot, heat oil and ghee, add chopped onions and green chilis, remaining spices and a little salt. You have to cook the onions enough to soften it and get rid of the rawness but don’t have to brown it.

Add the cooked onions to the chicken mixture. Combine and garnish with coriander leaves. Check for seasoning and adjust accordingly.

For the Puri:

Roll out the chapati dough (not very thin) and cut them into equal-sized round shapes, palm-size. Place a half hard-boiled egg in the center of a roti, add enough of the chicken filling and top it with another roti. Seal the two by pressing on the edges.

You can even twist the edges to make them look nice like I did but it’s totally up to you. However, if you choose to do this, make sure the sides aren’t very thick. After assembling place the stuffed puris on a sheet of paper dusted with flour to avoid sticking.